Nicaragua
Syllabification: (Nic·a·ra·gua)
Pronunciation: /nikəˈrägwə/
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Definition of Nicaragua
Colonized by the Spaniards, Nicaragua broke away from Spain in 1821 and became an independent republic in 1838. In 1979, the dictator Anastasio Somoza was overthrown by a popular revolution; the new left-wing Sandinista regime then faced a counterrevolutionary guerrilla campaign by the US-backed Contras. The Sandinistas lost power to an opposition coalition in the 1990 election and were defeated again in 1996 and 2001